Police hunt four men over family house blaze (From Warrington Guardian)

Police hunt four men over family house blaze

A WOMAN is lucky to be alive after escaping from her blazing home which may have been torched by arsonists.

Police are now hunting four men in connection with the suspicious fire, which has left the house - where the unnamed woman is believed to live with her partner and child - in ruins.

Flames were bursting through the roof of the house in Warrington Road, Risley, in the early hours of Thursday, when firefighters arrived.

"It was an extensive fire. It had spread from the ground floor through to the first floor and the roof," said a Warrington fire spokesman.

He confirmed that a woman had managed to escape from the house to call the fire brigade.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "It is shocking. Whoever is responsible for this wants stringing up."

Police said the woman had challenged four men who she thought were tampering with a trailer outside the house at around 11pm.

They returned at around 11.30pm and there was another confrontation.

A police spokesman said: "After midnight the occupant discovered a fire at the front of the house and it quickly spread throughout.

"The occupant's life was put in danger but she was able to get out without any injuries."

Each of the four men is described as being in his 20s, white, and six feet tall.

Three of them were wearing baseball caps, while one was wearing a sweater with a hood.

Any witnesses should call Det Con Rebecca Stokes or Det Con Dave Long at Warrington CID on 01244 613833 or the confidential Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555111.